What is your opinion on the top 3 K-league youth academies? Which one has the strongest connection to the Korean Youth National team?
i would say 1. Suwon, 2. Pohang, and 3. Ulsan for the k-league ones. Shingal, Boin, and Shinpyung for the non-k-league ones.
jsk, thank you! So would all of the K-league academies be considered better than the non-K-league ones? I have seen your extensive posts on the youth and university leagues so I appreciate your input.
it really depends on the academy cause outside the top 6 academies the rest arent really nothing special. typically the big chaebol clubs with the funds got the best ones but now the non-kleague schools are producing quite a few more gems. it used to be that player's university choice mattered more than their high school but the academies are coming a long way since then. now your better and talented youths turn pro much earlier and dont even go to the unis. just to give you an idea heres where our current NT players played in their youths. K-League: Jung Sung-Ryong - Jeju Youths Kim Young-Kwang- Chunnam Dragons Youths Park Ju-Young - Brazil/Pohang Youths Lee Chung-Yong- FC Seoul Youths Oh Beom-Suk - Pohang Youths Park Won-Jae - Pohang Youths Yoon Suk-Young - Chunnam Youths Shin Kwang-Hoo - Pohang Youths Nam Tae-Hee - Ulsan Youths/Reading Son Heung-Min - FC Seoul Youths/Hamburg Non-K-League: Kim Young-Kwon - Jeonju Technical Kwak Tae-Hwi - Daegu HS Hwang Suk-Ho - Unho HS Jung In-Hwan - Baekam HS Kim Bo-Kyung - Shingal HS Kim Jung-Woo - Bupyung HS Lee Keun-Ho - Bupyung HS Kim Shin-Wook - Kwacheon HS Park Jong-Woo - Janghoon HS Ha Dae-Sung - Bupyung HS Ki Sung-Yong - Australia/Gwangju Youths* Lee Seung-Gi - Gwangju Youths* i put gwangju cause they are there now but they were there before the parent club was founded.
its interesting FC Seoul because you would think their academy is great but in reality its quite average to above average. i also remember reading they are going to switch schools so it wont be at Dongbuk anymore.
Gyeongnam youth academy has a very solid structural foundation. Don't be surprised if they start producing some solid talent in the next few years.
Pohang I think are far above any other club in terms of their youth academy and producing young talent.
Are any of these K-League academies affiliated with schools or do they have their own academic programs?
the clubs basically give funding to the school and all their players in their academy attend that school only. they give the school nice facilities and the school wears the kit of the parent club. but the schools are independent of the clubs and the clubs can switch schools if they really wanted to. typically the clubs with corporate sponsors have better academies and clubs. and yes Pohang in the past has had the best academy with ton of players on the NT. typically if a player is good he will relocate. so Pohangs youth teams are made up of players from all over Korea its not a regional type of deal.
Good stuff, thanks as always. Heard that Hong MB may be thinking of starting up an U15 team in Seoul, wonder if anyone else heard that?